Research Question: What areas are being tested, what areas are being overlooked? Author: Sara Mazur
Editorial: "Teach the Books, Touch the Heart" Hollander, Claire Needell. “Teach the Books, Touch the Heart.” The New York Times 20 Apr. 2012. Web. 23 Nov. 2012.
Summary: This editorial is written by a school teacher who runs a class in her middle school that teaches classic literature, in which enriched students get to read books such as The Sun Also Rises, and Of Mice and Men, books which they would not otherwise have the opportunity to read. She then goes on to talk about the fact that since the school at which she teaches has such and emphasis on test scores, she has had to cut back on some of the material read in the class, and focus more on teaching to the English section of the standardized tests her students have to take. She emphasizes that standardized tests do not put a focus on classic literature. Because her class does not "teach to the test", her students scores on the English and Reading sections of the test are not high which puts her at risk of loosing the class. Although the class does not reflect positively on the test, the class teaches her students, especially those of low income, vocabulary and literacy.
Reaction: After reading this article, I feel worried about the direction that the schools are going with such an emphasis on standardized testing. When I read the first few paragraphs of the editorial I thought that what Claire was doing with her class, reading the novels, sounded like a great program. The student testimonials about her class describe a class that has helped them in so many ways, including preparing them for higher education. Then she began talking about the cut in her curriculum, and the changes she made to teach more to the test and improve her students scores. It sounded to me like the class lost track of what it was supposed to be doing, its original intent, all because of standardized testing.
Scholarly Article: "Is Science Being Devalued in Schools"
Aydeniz, Mehmet, and Sherry A. Southerland. "A National Survey of Middle and High School Science Teachers’ Responses to Standardized Testing: Is Science Being Devalued in Schools?" Journal for Science Teacher Education 23 (2012): 233-57. The Associaton for Science Teacher Education. Web. 24 Nov. 2012.
Summary:
This article discusses research done by surveying 161 science teachers on their thoughts on standardized testing. The questions were evaluated to reflect if the feelings toward standardized tests were negative or positive. They found that many teachers felt that what they were teaching in their science classes were not properly represented in the standardized tests that the students were taking. Many of them also expressed frustration with the material that they had to cut out of their curriculum so that they can teach to the test.Overall the survey showed that teachers tend to think negatively toward standardized testing because of the changes that are being made to their classrooms, due to standardized testing.
Reaction:
It is nice to hear what teachers think of standardized testing. I think a lot of what we hear about standardized testing is how it affects the students, but a lot of the time we do not hear about the effect that it has on teachers. To hear and see that teachers think so negatively about the standardized test makes me wonder why there is so much emphasis on them in this country. If they are not supported by a majority of students and teachers, why are they so widely used?
Analysis Article: "America's School Science Crisis"
Dyson, James. “James Dyson: America’s School Science Crisis.” The Daily Beast: Newsweek. 1 Oct. 2010. Web. 19 Nov. 2012.
Summary: This article is also about the declining role of sciences in our country compared to other countries because of our emphasis on standardized testing. The author makes a point in saying that when you teach to a test, you loose the creativity and problem solving of experimentation and lab work that most scientist do. There is a lack of interest in these fields because students are not able to express themselves creatively through the science and things that they are learning.
Reaction: This article really spoke to me because I was fortunate enough to go to a school that did not emphasize standardized testing. We were able to do all of the things that this article says our science programs are lacking, such as laboratory work. This led me to want to explore a career in science when furthering my education, but I could see that if I did not get the opportunities that I did in high school than I would have no real interest in the sciences.
Overall Reaction to Your Research
The most interesting thing that I learned from my research is the effect of standardized tests on the subjects in school, especially science. On the standardized test, a lot of the importance of the sciences are overlooked, like the laboratory work. Not only that, but science was not even an area tested in a lot of parts of the country until recently. The subjects being tested and the subjects being taught differ a lot in the science section of the test, they overlook physics and biology and really focus on natural sciences and the scientific method. The same goes for the English and reading section of the test. My research showed me that a lot of the reading sections of the standardized tests have more to do with grammar and vocab than important things that we learn in school such as classic literature or poetry. This research really opened my eyes to the areas that are lacking on the standardized tests. When you are in school taking these tests, you often overlook what the test is actually testing you on, it is usually looked at as just a big inconvenience to a lot of students. This being said, this research showed me a lot of the deficits in the content of the test.
Relevance in Rhode Island Schools
Since Rhode Island schools have been taking the NECAP since 2005, they fall victim to an emphasis on standardized tests in their school system. Since my research was really on the subject areas of standardized tests I researched the NECAP to see what the NECAP was testing. The NECAP is split into 4 subject areas, math, reading, writing, and science. The science section of the test was recently added to the test in 2008. From looking at the released test from past years online, it seems that the science section of the test has a good balance of biology, chemistry, and natural sciences for the test taking by the upper level kids. But in the other areas, it seems to be lacking like many of the other national standard tests are.
Relevance to Charter Schools
Charter schools are also required to take standardized tests they may also fall victim to the same patterns that I have been talking about throughout my research. The way that a charter school may differ from a public school in this situation is the fact that they can make there own curriculum and they do not have to follow the standards set for a district. Because of this, they can set which material they would wish to teach, as well as what they would like to cover as far as the test so that they are not cheating themselves in what they are teaching to their students, they can work and rework to make sure that there students are getting the best education that they can.
Author: Sara Mazur
Editorial: "Teach the Books, Touch the Heart"
Hollander, Claire Needell. “Teach the Books, Touch the Heart.” The New York Times 20 Apr. 2012. Web. 23 Nov. 2012.
Summary:
This editorial is written by a school teacher who runs a class in her middle school that teaches classic literature, in which enriched students get to read books such as The Sun Also Rises, and Of Mice and Men, books which they would not otherwise have the opportunity to read. She then goes on to talk about the fact that since the school at which she teaches has such and emphasis on test scores, she has had to cut back on some of the material read in the class, and focus more on teaching to the English section of the standardized tests her students have to take. She emphasizes that standardized tests do not put a focus on classic literature. Because her class does not "teach to the test", her students scores on the English and Reading sections of the test are not high which puts her at risk of loosing the class. Although the class does not reflect positively on the test, the class teaches her students, especially those of low income, vocabulary and literacy.
Reaction:
After reading this article, I feel worried about the direction that the schools are going with such an emphasis on standardized testing. When I read the first few paragraphs of the editorial I thought that what Claire was doing with her class, reading the novels, sounded like a great program. The student testimonials about her class describe a class that has helped them in so many ways, including preparing them for higher education. Then she began talking about the cut in her curriculum, and the changes she made to teach more to the test and improve her students scores. It sounded to me like the class lost track of what it was supposed to be doing, its original intent, all because of standardized testing.
Scholarly Article: "Is Science Being Devalued in Schools"
Aydeniz, Mehmet, and Sherry A. Southerland. "A National Survey of Middle and High School Science Teachers’ Responses to Standardized Testing: Is Science Being Devalued in Schools?" Journal for Science Teacher Education 23 (2012): 233-57. The Associaton for Science Teacher Education. Web. 24 Nov. 2012.
Summary:
This article discusses research done by surveying 161 science teachers on their thoughts on standardized testing. The questions were evaluated to reflect if the feelings toward standardized tests were negative or positive. They found that many teachers felt that what they were teaching in their science classes were not properly represented in the standardized tests that the students were taking. Many of them also expressed frustration with the material that they had to cut out of their curriculum so that they can teach to the test.Overall the survey showed that teachers tend to think negatively toward standardized testing because of the changes that are being made to their classrooms, due to standardized testing.
Reaction:
It is nice to hear what teachers think of standardized testing. I think a lot of what we hear about standardized testing is how it affects the students, but a lot of the time we do not hear about the effect that it has on teachers. To hear and see that teachers think so negatively about the standardized test makes me wonder why there is so much emphasis on them in this country. If they are not supported by a majority of students and teachers, why are they so widely used?
Analysis Article: "America's School Science Crisis"
Dyson, James. “James Dyson: America’s School Science Crisis.” The Daily Beast: Newsweek. 1 Oct. 2010. Web. 19 Nov. 2012.
Summary:
This article is also about the declining role of sciences in our country compared to other countries because of our emphasis on standardized testing. The author makes a point in saying that when you teach to a test, you loose the creativity and problem solving of experimentation and lab work that most scientist do. There is a lack of interest in these fields because students are not able to express themselves creatively through the science and things that they are learning.
Reaction:
This article really spoke to me because I was fortunate enough to go to a school that did not emphasize standardized testing. We were able to do all of the things that this article says our science programs are lacking, such as laboratory work. This led me to want to explore a career in science when furthering my education, but I could see that if I did not get the opportunities that I did in high school than I would have no real interest in the sciences.
Overall Reaction to Your Research
The most interesting thing that I learned from my research is the effect of standardized tests on the subjects in school, especially science. On the standardized test, a lot of the importance of the sciences are overlooked, like the laboratory work. Not only that, but science was not even an area tested in a lot of parts of the country until recently. The subjects being tested and the subjects being taught differ a lot in the science section of the test, they overlook physics and biology and really focus on natural sciences and the scientific method. The same goes for the English and reading section of the test. My research showed me that a lot of the reading sections of the standardized tests have more to do with grammar and vocab than important things that we learn in school such as classic literature or poetry. This research really opened my eyes to the areas that are lacking on the standardized tests. When you are in school taking these tests, you often overlook what the test is actually testing you on, it is usually looked at as just a big inconvenience to a lot of students. This being said, this research showed me a lot of the deficits in the content of the test.Relevance in Rhode Island Schools
Since Rhode Island schools have been taking the NECAP since 2005, they fall victim to an emphasis on standardized tests in their school system. Since my research was really on the subject areas of standardized tests I researched the NECAP to see what the NECAP was testing. The NECAP is split into 4 subject areas, math, reading, writing, and science. The science section of the test was recently added to the test in 2008. From looking at the released test from past years online, it seems that the science section of the test has a good balance of biology, chemistry, and natural sciences for the test taking by the upper level kids. But in the other areas, it seems to be lacking like many of the other national standard tests are.Relevance to Charter Schools
Charter schools are also required to take standardized tests they may also fall victim to the same patterns that I have been talking about throughout my research. The way that a charter school may differ from a public school in this situation is the fact that they can make there own curriculum and they do not have to follow the standards set for a district. Because of this, they can set which material they would wish to teach, as well as what they would like to cover as far as the test so that they are not cheating themselves in what they are teaching to their students, they can work and rework to make sure that there students are getting the best education that they can.